In China, Flooding Traps 172 Miners Underground – Edward Cody

Two weeks after the dramatic rescue of 69 workers from a flooded mine in Henan Province, more than twice that number have been trapped under similar circumstances in a coal mine in Shandong. From the Washington Post:

Zhang Dekuan, a senior Shandong province official, told the agency that 756 miners were working in the shaft when floodwaters rushed inside about 2:30 p.m. Friday and cut off their exit route. Rescuers freed 584 of them during the evening, he said, but 172 remained trapped early Saturday.

…The accident Friday was the latest in a string of disasters afflicting China’s coal industry, which is booming to meet the energy demands of a swiftly expanding economy. More than 2,800 miners were killed in underground explosions and floodings in 2006, according to government statistics, making the country’s mines the most dangerous in the world. [Full Text]